5 Reasons to Avoid Manali Kaza Road in October

Spiti Valley has become very popular among the tourists and travelers these days. People are traveling to Spiti Valley from Shimla Kaza road as well as Manali Kaza road based on the individual preferences. We know that the connectivity to Spiti Valley from Manali Kaza road is only possible in the summer months every year. Once the snowfall starts at Rohtang Pass and Kunzum Pass, the Manali Kaza closes down and Shimla Kaza road is the only route that connects Spiti Valley in winters. As the season end is approaching, so are the questions on making a trip to Spiti Valley from Manali Kaza road in October or later. In this article today, I will write in detail about the reasons I believe you should avoid traveling to Spiti Valley from Manali Kaza Road in October.

The perils of Manali Kaza Road

Manali Kaza Road is the shortest route to reach Spiti Valley. It offers mesmerizing views, great adventures like crossing Kunzum Pass and Rohtang Pass, passing through water crossings, driving or riding on the river bed, etc.. The other route to Shimla – Kinnaur – Kaza takes about 3 days to reach Spiti Valley from Delhi while Manali Kaza takes two days. Of course, you can read the articles 5 Reasons to Travel Spiti Valley from Manali Route and 5 Reasons to Travel Spiti Valley from Shimla – Kinnaur Route to understand the differences more. One thing to note about Manali Kaza road is that once the season gets over, that is by late September and October, one should definitely think at least once before venturing out on Manali Kaza Road. You can get stranded in the middle of nowhere for a couple of days and sometimes more.

The places that falls on Manali Kaza road along with approximate distances between them goes like: Manali – Marhi (37 KMs) – Rohtang Pass (51 KMs) – Gramphu (66 KMs) – Chattru (81 KMs) – Chota Dhara (98 KMs) – Battal (113 KMs) – Kunzum Pass (131 KMs) – Losar (151 KMs) – Kaza (202 KMs). Usually, people make a night halt at Manali or Solang Valley and then reach Kaza from Manali the very next day. You should know that as the distance is shorter, you also rapidly bump the altitude from Delhi to Manali (1950 Mtrs) to Kaza (3600 Mtrs). It has AMS risks associated with it but if you are careful and follow some basic precautions, mostly you get away with it with minor AMS issues. You can also refer below the Altitude & Distance Graph for the Manali Kaza Road:

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5 Reasons to Avoid Manali Kaza Road in October

October – November are the months of festivals like Diwali, Dusherra, Durga Puja, etc.. and people get lots holidays. This means lots of trips are planned and those who fail to make the trip to Spiti Valley in season time tend to plan the trip to Spiti Valley in the month of October / November. Hence, the possibility of them making the trip on Manali Kaza road in October or November also increases. Given below are some of the top reasons I feel you should avoid making the trip on Manali Kaza road after mid-October especially.

1. Being Stranded & Likely Snowfall on Manali Kaza Road

Firstly, by late September winter season starts to set in the trans-Himalayas and all high passes in the Himalayas starts receiving snowfall at frequent intervals. The road from Manali Kaza passes through both Rohtang Pass and Kunzum Pass which also starts getting the snow. The chances of road closure temporarily also increase, however, the snow in late September or October does not last much longer. Although the BRO tries to maintain the Manali Kaza road open by end of October you can surely get stuck or delayed for a day or two or may be more due snowfall. Hence, it depends upon the weather altogether and if you are lucky, you may get through it without any single blockage. The point is there is risk of 1-3 days delay which must be kept in mind before planning any journey to Manali Kaza road in late September or October.

Sudden snowfall and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere

I will also suggest making sure that you have sufficient food stock and drinking water stock with you to ensure you get past these days if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Although it is not freezing cold and snow melts away, chances of losing the life when getting stuck in a situation like this is still very much a possibility. Hence, better safe than sorry.

Just to quote, more than 25 people got stranded in August couple of years back when sudden snowfall occurred at Kunzum Pass. Please note it was August and still they got stuck. Some of them had to be rescued by chopper and many of them almost starved. Dorje Uncle at Battal dhabha gave them food and place to stay and saved their lives. If a similar thing happens in October, well, things can be very different due to low temperatures. Also, Dorje uncle packs up the dhabha by mid-October too.

It is always recommended to carry an inverter cum car charger with you so that many of the electrical/electronic components can either be charged or worked upon in the absence of electricity. Example, electric kettle for boiling water, charging your camera or laptop, charging your phone, charging your torch light or camp light, etc.. You never know when you need any of that equipment for one or the other use, example, making a call from a dead phone as soon as you reach in signal zone. I have purchased a Targus 200W Car Power Inverter With Usb Fast Charging Port which works like a charm and I have been using it for last 4 years without fail. It has never disappointed me when there was a need in while traveling in the remote Himalayas or in the plains/city world. You can find it on Flipkart as well at the link here. Or you can buy it from Amazon India from the link/image provided on the right side.

2. Lack of Accommodation or Stay options

Once you cross Kothi on Manali – Rohtang Pass road, there isn’t any permanent place to stay all the way up to Losar, about 51 KMs from Kaza. There is a PWD Guest house at Khoksar about 5 KMs from Gramphu and then a PWD rest house at Chatru & Batal. You have Dorje uncle Dhabha at Batal too and another one. However, these make shifts dhabhas and availability of caretaker at Batal PWD rest house will be difficult especially after mid-October. These places may require you to stop in case there is snow on some adjoining mountain passes or other reasons of the road closure. The point is the risk of running out of the limited accommodation options in case you get stuck at some unplanned place. So, better carry your own tent and camping kit to avoid getting stranded in the middle of nowhere without a place to stay.

3. Buses on Manali Kaza Road

The HRTC bus running between Kaza and Manali / Kullu also stops in October as the risk of being stranded increases. I guess they stop the bus service as soon as the black ice starts forming on the roads after mid-October and it becomes risky to drive or ride on it. The frequency of shared taxis also decreases and only people who really need to travel follow the Manali Kaza road that late in the season.

4. Cold and Slippery Road Conditions

In the month of October, you will need to bear some cold conditions especially at night, late evening or early morning. You may come across with almost sub-zero temperatures at the region around Chandratal, Kunzum Pass, Batal, Losar. In the day time, it can be warmer than expected though but strong cold winds will always leave you numb in shades especially when biking it is really tough. So, go prepared with proper gears. Make sure you have proper clothing to survive the cold conditions in case such a thing happens.

Another thing to be careful about is the ice on the roads that makes slippery road conditions. As the temperatures go sub-zero the water on the roads freeze especially around Kunzum Pass and Rohtang Pass. You should be very careful of the black ice else you may injure yourself in the middle of nowhere without any help nearby.

5. Motor Rallies

Last but not the least, October is the month when the popular rally, Raid De Himalaya, is carried out nowadays over the roads in Spiti Valley, Ladakh, and Manali – Leh Highway. When this rally event taking place, you may find various road sections to be closed for their smooth run. Hence, it is an inconvenience for you as it may delay or toss up your plans completely. Moreover, finding an accommodation among the limited open options in Spiti Valley also becomes a challenge as most of the hotels/stay options are pre-booked for the participants. This further means trouble and delays.

Having said all that, in October, you will find the least crowd, best road conditions of the season, very less water in the nallas and best bargains on taxis or hotels 🙂 (of course except rally time). So, evaluate the risks and then make a call to travel on Manali Kaza road in October or later. You should never plan the road trip on Manali Kaza road in November as that is when the chances of getting stuck for more than months increases and travel becomes life threatening.

Conclusion

In the month of early October, if you are well prepared for the risks defined in the article, you can try to make a trip on Manali Kaza road at your own risk. Personally, I will STRONGLY recommend NOT TO attempt any travel on Manali Kaza road in late October or November. Otherwise, be ready to either get stuck for much longer time or sell/leave your vehicle then and there itself and bear a huge loss.

I hope you will take into consideration the above risks before planning your journey on Manali Kaza road in October or later. I will be here to answer any further questions you may have for your upcoming trip to Spiti Valley from Manali Kaza road. Feel free to post them under comments or newly introduced Travel Questions section on this website from the main menu.

Feel free to share this article with your friends or family whom you think might be planning their trips to Spiti Valley in October.

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33 Comments

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Hello dheeraj
Your knowledge and patience is commendable.
Thank you very much for sharing everything in so much depth .
I am going to himachal for the first time and have no previous experience about the conditions there.
Would you recommend bike trip from shimla to spiti in Jan 2018…I was planning it from manali to spiti but as you said that roads are closed and Google also shows NH505 as closed, I am thinking about making it from shimla. Would it be possible from shimla to spiti?

I will suggest that as it is your first trip, better keep it simple to Shimla and at max Kinnaur Valley. It will be difficult for you even Kinnaur as it is first trip but I am not sure how much you are used to cold conditions? Are you used to cold? If yes, then check: Kinnaur in Winters – Most Common Itinerary

i have read all your articles and i am your big fan.you have provided so much information which is very essential.now i am planning to do spiti from 8th oct to 15th oct from shilma side to enter and manali side to exit.i know its risky please help buddy because if i cancel my plan it will be third time in this season and if anything else i can do in these days in himalaya please suggest.

One thing: Always protect your head, chest and lower neck from where the cold winds actually set the cold in. So, even if there is little warmth, I always keep a light jacket on myself. Warmth does not do harm like cold, so I prefer it over always.

I will be travelling through Spiti Circuit in the first week of October. I will leave on 29th September from Delhi and will enter the circuit through Manali. I also have Kaza, Kibber, Rekong PEO , and other places to cover enroute.I will be travelling on Enfield and plan to come back to Delhi on 8th October.
Please suggest.

We are planning to visit Spiti from 29th September to 7th October. We are starting from manali on sep 29 and staying in batal. We are visiting chandrathal next day and continue to kaza. We have made our bookings in kaza and planning to trek Mt. Kanamo. Is weather conditions are good for trekking? We have done few high altitude treks(Max 16000ft) before but still little concerned about spiti weather and altitude. Please advice. Thanks 🙂

Shruthi, it starts to get cold in September end but day time shall be good to trek. I hope you have guided trek and are not attempting the trek on your own. It is high altitude trek, so make sure you are acclimatized properly before attempting the trek. What is the itinerary of the trek?

All the replies are moderated and approved by me, to be visible on the page but not sure where your reply went. I checked the spam as well but I think there could be some other glitch. Can you please post it as a question which do not reply any moderation: https://devilonwheels.com/travel-questions/

Started reading your blogs few days back and find it really informative. Keep up the good work!
We are planning to visit Spiti from 29th September to 8th October. We are going from Delhi via Shimla-Narkanda and booked a zoom car (Eco-Sport). It would be really great if you can help me with few things.
1. What are the chances of getting AMS and what measures can be taken to minimize the effects?
2. What about the weather conditions that we might face?
3. Is it recommended to visit Baralacha la pass in October (mostly will be the night ride)
4. How about the weather conditons at Chandratal and will it be okay to camp? (Chandrataal will be on 7th October)

1. As you are traveling from Shimla to Kaza, chances are minimal. You should keep the body hydrated and do not exert too much.
2. It will start getting a bit cold especially in night, rest should be OK.
3. I will suggest to skip it for some other trip
4. Chandratal will be cold and windy, if you are used to such conditions, then you may give it a try else visit in the day for couple of hrs and reach Manali.

Hey Just wanted to say thanks for Sonam A. number. His English is really good and he gave me a very good rate. I wanted to ask you a few questions:
1. Since I am an foreign national, how can I get a PAP permit for myself because I can not find any tour groups to join in first week of October?
2.Do you know any good places to stay in Leh Ladakh , Nubraa Valley, Pangong lake in month of October?
I really appreciate your help.

1. Now even as an individual, you can apply for protected area permit. You will have to go through a travel agency or your hotel. They will be able to help you with it.
2. As you have the driver with you, he will help all along with them. Otherwise, Hotel Kidar in Leh, Hotel Sten Del in Deskit, Guest Houses in Hunder, Himalayan Wooden Cottages in Pangong Tso are few good options of stay.

I am an planning a trip from Manali to Ladakh in the second week of October, is this adviseable? Also I want to know if you have any good ladakh homestays options and an updated number for Rigzin? Also do you have any numbers for good drivers available that can drive me from Manali to Ladakh ? If there is any tour groups planning on going during this month please let me know? Thanks

Sir,
Travelling to Spiti valley via Shimla during last week of Sept and planned to exit via Manali which will be on 2/3rd Oct. Should we change plan and return via Shimla as you advised to avoid Kaza Manali road. Please advice as we never travelled to that road.

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Are you looking for the CUSTOMIZED TOURS?? Get in touch with our our handpicked & trusted Destination Specialists from the Himalayas who offer SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES to all the readers/followers of the Devil On Wheels website.